Job details:

Salary

From $20 an hour

Job Type

Full Time

Full Job Description

Job Title: Adoption Specialist

Summary: Provide adoption management services, in collaboration with the child's case manager, for children in foster care. The primary focus of this position is to promote safety and permanency through adoption with children who cannot be reunified with their parents.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Coordinate with the Family Case Manager for the needs of the adoptive child.
• Search/Secure potential adoptive families within the city, county, state, other states
• Contact potential adoptive families and obtain/complete adoptive assessment.
• Complete home and suitability assessments for potential adoptive parents.
• Arrange/conduct Adoption Staffing's.
• Complete all necessary paperwork/forms for adoption finalizations with the Children's Division and the court of jurisdiction.
• Make mandated home visits for children/families to assure suitability and safety.
• Negotiate adoption subsidies.
• Complete child specific social summaries.
• For new placements, arrange for visits between the child and the potential adoptive family.
• Maintain recording and documentation of all work with the adoptive family. Complete detailed monthly narratives for all assigned children.
• Alongside the family case manager and team, identify and coordinate services for the child and potential adoptive family with other community resources.
• Attend FST/TDM meetings for child/children in the assigned adoption case load.
• Complete guardianship subsides, if needed
• Must be actively involved in Performance Quality Improvement processes and standards promoting excellent services to our FamilyForward's clients and help maintain an excellent work environment for all staff and volunteers.
• Complete needed FACES
• Secure and complete all file material to return subsidy files to CD
• Attend mandatory on-going trainings
• Develop networking with other agencies for potential adoptive resources
• Complete all necessary paperwork for adoption finalizations in an accurate and timely fashion as the adoption permanencies are pivotal in meeting the requirements of the case management contract.
• Facilitate required trainings for prospective Foster and Adoptive Families
• Conduct home visits with prospective Adoptive families and the children to determine ongoing suitability.

Values: Believes in providing quality services to children and families Values advocating for children's and families' rights in utilizing and interacting with community health, education, legal, child welfare and mental health systems, and that a strong foster care system is an essential component of effective community child safety. Believes in the importance of being creative, resourceful, pragmatic, and collaborative in approach to helping people. Be respectful and maintain professional image at FamilyForward and in public.

Competencies: Program personnel are hired on the basis of having the educational and professional experience specified in their FamilyForward job description. As such, new personnel bring a level of working knowledge and skill to their FamilyForward job role. FamilyForward Supervisors and/or Managers of new program personnel during the orientation period, assess their knowledge and abilities in the following areas, and provide further orientation as needed:

1. The establishment of rapport and responsive behaviors with persons served.
2. Collaboration with other disciplines and community services in meeting the needs of persons served.
3. The needs of individuals and families in crisis including special service needs of victims of violence, abuse, or neglect and their family members.
4. Procedures for working with foreign language speakers and persons with communication impairments.
5. Public assistance and government subsidies.

Adoption workers are qualified by:

1. an advanced degree in social work or a comparable human service field.
2. a bachelor's degree in social work; or
3. a bachelor's degree with two years of related experience.

Adoption workershave the competencies to:

1. facilitate adoptions that meet applicable legal requirements.
2. conduct assessments and identify children with special needs;
3. provide support to persons affected by adoption to cope with social and emotional issues.
4. facilitate adoptions for children with special needs; and
5. maintain and protect confidential information and assist persons served to access information, as outlined by applicable law.

Interpretation: Competency can be demonstrated through education, training, or experience.

Transportation: Possession of a valid driver's license, a personal automobile, and valid automobile insurance is required.

Education and/or Experience:

Minimum of a bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university with major specialization (24 hours) in such areas as social work, family and child development, special education, psychology, sociology, gerontology, or related behavioral sciences.

Minimum of one year of professional employment in the delivery of protective social services, family preservation services, or targeted case management services in a public or private agency. Demonstrated experience as a positive contributor in a close team and community relationship, with community resource mobilization.

Language Skills: Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written or oral form. Ability to solve practical problems with a variety of concrete variable in standardized situations.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to walk; sit; and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. The employee must lift and/or move up to 10-25 pounds. Specific abilities required by this job include close vision and distant vision.

PI offers great benefits to include:

• 401(k)
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Long term disability
• Paid time off